I adjusted the strip of cloth in front of my nose as the wind once again carried acrid smoke into the camp. Even days after the battle, we still hadn’t finished burning all of the bodies.

  Finishing the section of runes I was working on, I looked over the temporary fence we were reinforcing. It was nowhere near as impressive as the wall had been, but it was better than nothing. We still didn’t know if that fox would return with another horde.

  “Oh, finally a bit of good news.” Catherine remarked from next to me, setting down her tool for a moment.

  She wasn’t the only one looking suddenly more cheerful. The dour mood of everyone around me seemed to have suddenly lifted. I didn’t see what had lifted everyone’s spirits.

  “What?” I asked, rather than puzzle it out.

  “The next wave of ships just got in range.” Catherine replied, not bothering to look at me as she focused on reading though her unseen interface. ”Yes! Someone brought some new entertainment to share.”

  I wasn’t sure what sort of entertainment she was talking about, but it clearly made the rune carver happy. She wasn’t the only one cheered up by what they were seeing.

  “More ships?” I asked instead, feeling that that was probably the more important piece of information.

  “Yup, reinforcements are finally coming. We could have used them a tenday earlier, but I’ll be glad to have someone else to dump some of this work on. I came here to find gold, not spend day after day scraping wood back into a functional defense.”

  Some of the others nearby echoed the sentiment. Behind them, I noticed Martin approaching with the surly mage that I forgot the name of. I was pretty sure it was Boy or something similar.

  “Please come with us for a moment, Kyo.” Martin instructed.

  I nodded, wondering what the two wanted me to help with rather than the rest of the rune carvers. Catherine gave me what seemed like a pitying look for some reason as I walked away.

  “First, I must apologize to you, young woman.” The mage remarked, acting very different from the other time I had interacted with him. “I misjudged you.”

  I was surprised by his acknowledgment. Before, he had been extremely dismissive. I didn’t have time to figure out a response before he continued talking.

  “As you likely heard, there is another fleet approaching. When they arrive, the ships here will be returning to the Empire. For your contributions in the defense of our expedition, we would like to offer you a position among those returning. You will have a few days to decide, but I would recommend you take this opportunity while you can. It will be a while before you have another chance.”

  Everything I had heard about the Empire made it sound amazing. It sounded like my friends’ home village must be much larger than Sanctuary Valley had been. If the many magical novelties of the camp were anything to go by, the Empire probably held an even more incredible array of magical luxuries.

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  The opportunity to make more friends was also very tempting. After years on my own, the few friendships I had formed with members of the camp were wonderful. I was not unaware, however, that we held only so much in common. With the number of people in the empire, I was likely to meet people with which I could form even closer relationships.

  It sounded like not everyone would be returning to the Empire. I was reluctant to leave behind the friends I had already made if I didn’t have to. “Who else is going?”

  “That has not been fully decided.” Martin stated. “Of those you know, I can only tell you that Robert and Mathew will be returning at this time.”

  “I… I need to think.” I told them. The two ax wielding men were agreeable enough, but I wasn’t particularly close to them.

  “Go ahead. You may send me a message when you have your answer.” Martin said before starting to walk away.

  “Before I go, I would like confirmation on something. You are a true caster, correct?” The mage inquired.

  I almost told him my class, but stopped myself. Catherine and Liam had warned me that it would be a bad idea to tell any of the nobles. I was aware that Martin and Halrand were nobles and that there were a few more leading the camp, but I wasn’t sure who they were. It did seem like the mage was probably one of the leaders though.

  “True caster? What is that?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

  “A special kind of magician who casts spells manually. I guess you haven't been given a class for it yet.” He remarked before muttering to himself. "That does make it troublesome to prove..."

  I chose not to correct him, letting him wander off instead. I hoped that wasn’t a mistake.

  Over the next few days, I asked those I knew for their opinions on whether or not I should go to the Empire. The results were a little mixed, but mostly suggested that I should.

  Some, like Maria and Matthew, recommended that I do so. They seemed to be of the opinion that it would be a good idea for me to travel to the empire where I would be safe from the dangers of the jungle.

  Others, like Ophelia and Catherine warned me that the Empire was not without its own dangers. They seemed worried that someone would try to trick me into something or another. I didn’t expect it to be a problem, but I promised to keep it in mind.

  Salvador was one of the more helpful as he was able to give me actionable advice.

  “It would be saddening to see you go, but it is your life to live. There are opportunities waiting for you in the empire you won’t have here. I’ve seen how much you love learning new things.” He began. “If you were to go, I would recommend visiting Martin’s family. They own a research team that would give you the chance to play with plenty of fancy new magic. More importantly, they are good people.”

  By the time someone spotted the ships arriving from across the water, I had made my decision. I was going to visit the Empire. Among other reasons, I wanted to see what kind of a village it was.

  I had said my goodbyes to many of the different members of the camp. Many were busy with their own tasks, but a few were able to make time to see me off.

  “Make sure you keep up your practice. You have been making good progress.” Ophelia directed me.

  “It was good knowing you, kid. I’ll raise a drink in your honor when we find that gold you pointed out.” Catherine promised, tousling my hair.

  “Kyo… I-I…” Liam began before seeming to change his mind about what he was going to say. “...goodbye…”

  With the bag I received from a man I had never met upon my back and my spear in hand, I walked up the ramp to the ship. I was ready for my journey to the Empire.

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